ORBITAL @ 30

 

Celebrating its 30th anniversary today is the debut eponymous album from Orbital, which was released on September 30th, 1991. Along with debuts by the likes of LFO, Aphex Twin, Nightmares on Wax and The Future Sound of London, Orbital would become recognized as a critical part of the new wave of British techno music bursting from the clubs at the dawn of the 1990s.

The Hartnoll brothers, Phil & Paul, would begin working towards this album in 1989, crafting their first single, Chime, on their dad’s cassette deck in a compact little office/workspace he had cut out from the void under the staircase of the family home. Over the course of the next few years, they’d assemble the songs that would eventually become their debut. Taking their cue from Detroit techno and Chicago acid house coming from America in the late 1980s, they’d quickly become part of the UK’s exploding rave scene, where they were recognized for their improvised live sets. Some of these would make it on to their debut in the form of live versions of Chime and Midnight.

I was turned onto this album almost immediately upon its arrival at the local import shop. As soon as I heard the Star Trek - The Next Generation samples on the opening cut (The Moebius, Time Squared, S02E13) with Worf’s “… where time becomes a loop” and LaForge’s “…whatever happened WILL happen again”, I knew I had to have this album. With TNG being at the peak of its popularity by 1991, that hook was irresistible. And the rest of the album didn’t disappoint as they filled the entire CD’s 78 minute capacity with one solid groove after another. It became regular essential listening in my home for some time after its arrival. Digging it out again for a fresh listen, it’s still got a lot going for it and has held up nicely over the past thee decades. I’m sure it can still pack a dance floor whenever it gets a spin.

For some reason, however, I never really kept up with the group after their first release. I remember checking out their third album, Snivilization, and being somewhat ambivalent about it and I never bothered to go back to that well again after that. Yet I’ve been doing some dipping in now, spurred on by the nostalgia that was triggered after rediscovering their debut, and I’m finding myself very much enchanted again. I don’t know why I didn’t stick with them back then, but I’m glad I’m giving them another chance now and I’m very impressed with what I’m hearing with fresh ears.